tsunami
/(t)suːˈnɑːmi/
"tsunami" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“tsunami” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,655 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #14,655
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption; often a series of waves (a wave train).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | tsunami |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /(t)suːˈnɑːmi/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #14,655 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “tsunami” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for tsunami is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /(t)suːˈnɑːmi/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,655 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for tsunami, with forms such as "stunami", "tsnuami", and "tssunami". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Japanese 津波 (tsunami), from 津 (tsu, “harbour”) + 波 (nami, “wave”). The correct English form is tsunami, spelled T-S-U-N-A-M-I.
Definition
- 1A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption; often a series of waves (a wave train).
- 2A large and generally unstoppable surge.
Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 津波 (tsunami), from 津 (tsu, “harbour”) + 波 (nami, “wave”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: stunami,tsnuami,tssunami,tsuanmi,tsunaim,tsunammi,tsunmai,tsunnami,ttsunami,tusnami
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tsunami - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "tsunami"?
What does "tsunami" mean?
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Using “tsunami”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-S-U-N-A-M-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /(t)suːˈnɑːmi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.